Noida Aqua Line sees increase in ridership and number of app users

Noida’s aqua line was launched back in January 2019 and since then, the reception on the metro line has been great. The Aqua Line saw a 38% increase in footfall by April, which was just three months after the launch of the metro route. The Aqua Line is especially useful as it connects areas even in Greater Noida to Delhi and Gurugram. One thing that must be kept in mind is that the Aqua Line uses paper based QR code tickets rather than the plastic tokens.

What’s the update?

Along with the launch of the Aqua Line, the NMRC also put into action some bizzare rules. One of these were that commuters would be unable to make use of existing DMRC smart metro cards and also shift towards a paper based ticket that is easy to lose track of and not reliable at all. These changes to the metro ecosystem dissuaded many from making use of the Aqua Line and soon they launched the NMRC app.

The app had all the necessary features and even more than the DMRC app. With the help of the NMRC app commuters were given the option to book tickets 5-10 minutes prior to the train’s running time, thereby eliminating the need for the paper based QR tokens. Now, it has been revealed that there has been a 66% rise in the commuters who opt for the app based token.

Not only does this make for more eco-friendly mode of ticketing system, it also means that you no longer have to stand in long queues and you can get a ticket to board the train. While the NMRC recorded 3.8 lakh passengers on the corridor in March, in April, the figure rose to 4.3 lakhs. Additionally, the monthly revenue has also gone up from 1.13 crore to 1.31 crores, which is a massive increase.

Surprisingly enough, the number of smart card users has gone down, from 5,064 to 3,686. This could be because of the fact that you can not use the DMRC smart card in the Aqua Line. Additionally, with the help of the phone app the need for the smart card is pretty much irrelevant and you no longer have to lug it around with you.

Though the Aqua Line had a rough start when it first began, it has come a long way and with the many developments that have made it a better travel option, it seems to be fulfilling what it set out to do.